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1955 Map of Circle

Name: 1955 Topographic Map of Circle
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1961
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1961

About this map

Steese Highway serves as the primary artery through this interior landscape, connecting the Yukon River port of Circle to the rugged uplands. The mapping captures a network of mining and travel infrastructure essential to the mid-20th-century Alaskan interior, including significant high-elevation points like Eagle Summit and Twelvemile Summit. Settlement patterns are defined by roadhouses and small outposts such as Central and Miller House (PO), while the presence of Twelvemile House (Aband) indicates the shifting nature of interior transit as older river-based waypoints gave way to highway travel.

Water and mineral resources dominate the geography, with the massive drainage systems of Birch Creek and the Chatanika River carving through the Crazy Mountains. Local economies are evidenced by labels for Placer Mine sites, particularly around Mastodon Dome. The inclusion of Circle Hot Springs (Circle Springs PO) and the Chena Hot Springs Monument highlights the region's unique geothermal features which served as early focal points for recreation and settlement in the subarctic wilderness.